Page 109 of Kings & Carnage

I brushed the tears from my cheeks. “It’s too much.”

“You deserve every penny and more,” Neo said. “And it’s already done. The other documents explain how to set up passwords and PINs so that only you can access the account.” His gaze was penetrating from across the table. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Jezebel.”

There was something else. Something he wanted to say but didn’t, and at that moment I would have given just about anything to know what it was.

I drew in a shaky breath. “‘Thank you’ isn’t enough, but…” I looked at Neo, felt the words lodged in my throat:I love you. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said.

“I think it’s time for breakfast,” Rock said. “We gave you half a million dollars and you cried.”

I smiled. “Sorry. I was just…”

“Hungry,” Rock said. “And I knew you would be, which is why I got everything.”

I laughed as he lifted the covers from the dishes. And boy, he wasn't kidding. There were omelettes and French toast, eggs Benedict and perfectly cooked bacon, an assortment of pastries and crispy buttered wheat toast, even waffles and pancakes with tiny bottles of maple syrup.

We spent the next hour feasting on food and mimosas and I ended breakfast with syrup in places syrup should never be, or maybe it should, because the Kings were determined to lick it off my body, and I have to admit, it was pretty fucking hot.

After that we were all sticky, so we piled into the shower for more steamy fun.

Emphasis on the wordsteamy.

We’d just gotten out and were drying off when Neo's phone buzzed from the bathroom counter.

"I have to check that," he said, stalking naked across the bathroom.

He didn't have to explain. Since Alexa's news about the Knights, the Kings had been working their closest contacts in every house, trying to figure out who was loyal to them and who was loyal to their alumni.

Everything was going to get a lot more complicated if the other houses opted not to name their killers.

Neo picked up his phone and scowled at the display. I knew something was wrong when he answered the call.

Neo almost never answered his calls.

"What?" he said into the phone.

For at least a minute, he just listened.

"Talk to the Queens," he finally said. "See what they know.”

He set down his phone and turned to face us.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Alexa's dead," he said. “It looks like she fell from one of the cliffs into the river. And bylooks like, I mean someone killed her.”

PartThree

Chapter52

Willa

The Admin building had a completely different atmosphere than normal when Rock and I stepped through the doors Monday morning. It was still crowded, but rather than groups of people laughing, talking, and goofing off, huddles of students stood in groups, talking softly, some of them crying.

It had been that way all day. My classes had been nearly empty, minus the usual banter and casual atmosphere.

But that wasn't all. While some of our peers were clearly upset by Alexa's death, others had eyed Rock and I warily, something surreptitious in their gazes.

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